Regret

Sue was sipping her hot cappuccino at the outdoor cafe enjoying the warm spring sun on her face, when she spotted a familiar figure among the throng of pedestrians. She squinted against the bright light. Could it really be him?

Thomas, her Thomas that she hadn't seen for close to four years. She remembered how they'd met in the bookshop round the corner. He'd asked her what she was reading, and as she turned to see who was speaking, she almost fainted when she'd drowned in the dark pool of his laughing eyes.

From that very moment there had been no going back. They'd spent every free moment together, talked and laughed into the small hours and, best of all shared their mutual love for books. It had seemed like a dream that was never going to end. And then ... then one day, he just disappeared, and she never saw nor heard from him again.

At first, she'd been devastated, not knowing what to make of it. She'd cried a lot, and not a night went by when she didn't cry herself to sleep. She'd carried on like that for months, and she couldn't see a way out of the black pit that wanted to swallow her up. Then, things started to change and she gradually emerged from her stupor. Her life returned to normal and she'd learned to laugh again.

And now, here he was appearing from nowhere after all that time. There was no mistaking the wide set eyes, the square stubborn chin, and the dark hair; unruly as ever. How thin he'd become though. The sudden sadness that washed over her sent a sharp stab through her chest making her gasp for air.

Sue leapt from the chair and ran towards him. "Thomas! Thomas, is that really you? I can't believe this. What a lovely surprise! Where ... where on earth have you been all this time?"

Thomas stopped in his tracks, and gazed down at her lovely, innocent face, a face that hadn't changed during his four years behind bars. The lump in his throat threatened to choke him, and to his horror he felt his eyes going moist. Thomas looked at Sue through a mist of tears and all he could think of was what a fool he'd been.

"Yeah, Sue, it's really me, and what a great surprise, but, I don't have much time to chat. I hope ..." Thomas swallowed, "well, I hope you're okay. I really am in a bit of a hurry, so see you around sometime."

What met his eyes was a bewildered expression from those beautiful eyes, and it was very nearly his undoing. How he longed to take her in his arms, bury his face in the familiar smell of her hair, to reassure her that everything would be all right.

He managed to turn away with a shrug of his shoulders, and with a quick wave of his arm he walked away and disappeared into the crowd, hoping, against hope, she hadn't seen the deep hurt in his eyes.